Secrets
by Stunningfire
Summary: Max and Fang have been best friends their whole life. Fang suddenly realizes that he has a crush on her, but for them to form the relationship they both want, Max has to reveal the past that she's kept secret for so long... AH, AU, FAX, EGGY! (DISCONTINUED)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! This is my first actual story I've written for fanfiction. Tell me if it's good or not! ^_^ And the current title is just temporary; I need to think of a good one. xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I does not own Maximum Ride.**

"Maxxx!" My mother's voice pierces through my nice, wonderful sleep. I was having a nice dream, too! In my dream, Ella, my sister, and I had wings . . . and it wasn't just us. Fang, my best friend, his sister, Nudge, and Iggy also had wings. So did our cousins Zephyr (nicknamed Gazzy) and Angel. We were in the air just flying and joking around like we do in school. The wind through my hair had an amazing feel . . . oh well. It was nice while it lasted.

"Coming, Mom," I groan, pushing myself up. Another school day. It's lucky I have such an amazing set of friends to help me get through the day, or I'd hate school so much. I change quickly, running my fingers through my stringy brown hair a couple of times—I'm not bothered to do much more than that—and skip down the stairs. Ella is already at the table, mouthful of cereal. I grab a granola bar and plop down next to her, biting off a chunk.

"Hey, Ells," I greet her with my mouth full. She nods in reply. Once we are done, I sling my backpack over my shoulder and walk out to the bus stop, where Fang and Nudge are waiting. Nudge breaks out into a grin when she sees us.

"Max! Ella!" She greets my sister with a huge hug; the two of them are best friends. I can't help but smile—Nudge is just so overly enthusiastic about everything. I walk over to Fang and poke him playfully. He just nods. Fang is a boy of little words, but I don't mind. He's Fang.

On the bus to school, Nudge and Ella start singing some Justin Bieber song at the top of their lungs. I groan and look to Fang, sitting next to me, for help. He just smirks at me. Gazzy and Angel get on a few stops later and sit in the seats behind us. Angel immediately starts joining Nudge and Ella; Gazzy uses his hands to cover his ears. Fang leans against the window, staring out into the street. I can't help but watch his dark eyes as they scan the buildings we pass; he blinks, his long lashes glinting in the sun for a split second.

I force myself to look away, not sure what had come over me. It's not like this is the first time either; I've been finding myself watching Fang more and more closely these past few days. He's just so . . . quiet and mysterious. I know he's been my best friend since we were little kids, and I probably know him the best out of anyone, yet I think there's still a lot to learn about Fang. He's so hard to read. Girls swoon over how "hot" he is all the time, but I think that's just silly. He's just . . . Fang. He'll always just be Fang.

We hop off the bus and walk over to where the last member of our friend group, Iggy, is leaning against a flagpole, flirting with some brunette. She's twirling a strand of hair around her finger and giggling at everything he says. I roll my eyes; I'll be caught dead before I act that way around a guy. Iggy manages to work his charm on almost every girl, even though he's blind; apparently some even think his blindness is cute. Yeah, well, whatever suits you, I guess.

"Iggy!" Ella runs forward and hugs him. He looks surprised for a moment, then smiles and hugs her back. They are _so_ cute. It's obvious the two like each other, even though they won't admit it. Iggy doesn't tease her and flirt with her like all the other girls he encounters. He treats her like a real friend, and she even gets him to act serious sometimes. Ella is always super-affectionate with him and blushes a lot around him. They're totally the perfect couple.

The brunette frowns. "I'll see you later," she says to Iggy, giving Ella a glare—which she ignores—before flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away. Fang and I exchange amused glances, then walk into Martinez Middle, ready to face the day.

**Yeah, this was just kind of an introductory chapter before we start getting into the good stuff. (: Also, Max, Fang, and Iggy are in 8th grade; Nudge and Ella are in 7th grade; Gazzy and Angel are in 6th. They're in middle school because I'm in middle school so it'll be easier to write. Sorry about that :P Tell me what you think in a PM or review please! ~Stunningfire**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to those who reviewed/favorited/put on story alert! It made me happy. :D Replies:**

** ~ Well, Max has done her best to put her past behind her; and I wasn't quite sure how to fit it in anyway. XD *shuts up before I reveal anyting else* Thanks for reviewing!**

**linkinparkandsimpleplan ~ Your wish is granted. Thanks! That means a lot to me :3**

**jordygirl ~ Thank you so much(:**

**FaxlastsForever ~ EMILLYYYY. Thanks for reviewing. NOW I can finally put up the chapter xD Hehe thanks dear~**

**Random note: today in lunch, our table was talking about how much we hated Dylan and the various ways we could kill him. It was fun. :D**

**DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride=not mine.**

First class: French. Yes, I'm taking French. It's such a cool language . . . _très sophistiqué. _**(A/N: Very sophisticated. :P) **I feel like such a pro speaking it. Fang and Iggy, being the lazy butts that they are, take Spanish. Eh, whatever.

Mrs. White—or Madame Blanc, as we're instructed to call her—greets me in French. I nod in reply and sit down at my seat. My table partner, a happy-go-lucky girl named Jennifer Joy (JJ for short), grins at me. "Hey, Max! How are you?" We chat for a little while before the bell rings and class starts. I zone out a bit for the next few minutes as Madame Blanc begins to start the class, switching between French and English rapidly.

It's nice having such an easy class as the first one of the day. I'm still half asleep and my mind wanders, thinking about the dream I was having last night. The one where I had wings. _What would it be like to fly? _I muse. A nudge from JJ startles me and I glance up, realizing that Madame Blanc is looking at me with expectation. Oops . . . there goes my being the perfect student.

"Uh . . . _excusez-moi?_" I say lamely. Now I can tell that Madame Blanc's smile is forced as she repeats the question, asking me what my favorite food is. I say chocolate chip cookies—aka tiny bits of heaven—and she moves on with the lesson, apparently satisfied. I heave a sigh of relief and start thinking about chocolate chip cookies. Mmm. Sweet, warm chocolate melting in my mouth . . .

As you can tell, I'm not really thinking clearly.

The next class is Language Arts, and I have the worst teacher _ever_: Mrs. Torrybell, or Mrs. Horrible as we call her. I don't like reading or writing in the first place. Never did. I'm more of an outdoors, active person, so I don't like language arts to begin with. Add that with Mrs. Horrible and you have a very, very unhappy Max. At least Fang and Iggy are in my class as well; we make fun of Mrs. Horrible behind her back. Yes, we are very bad students, now shush.

"We're starting a new project today," says Mrs. Horrible in her nasal voice. This is greeted by a few groans, the loudest of which comes from Iggy and I. Fang, of course, doesn't say anything, but I know him well enough to pick out the look of horror on his face. Language Arts projects are never, _ever_ good. They usually involve essays and sometimes research and maybe even some creative writing thrown in, which I'm horrible at. Oh, joy.

"This project will be a bit different," continues Mrs. Horrible. I perk up and the rest of the class stills, waiting. "It'll be done in groups." A few people let out cheers, and Iggy whoops while I roll my eyes. "Please split into groups of three or four people and then I'll give you further instructions."

I glance over at Fang, who's looking back at me, then over to Iggy. There are two giggling girls, the brunette from this morning and some other girl, standing in front of him. He's smiling, but it looks forced and it's clear that he doesn't want to be in a group with them. I hold back a snicker when he glances my way and mouths _help_. (Yeah, it's creepy how he always knows where everyone is.)

I walk over and drag Iggy away, headed to Fang's desk (he's watching all of this with Fang-y amusement), calling, "Sorrrrrry, Iggy's taken," over my shoulder. The brunette frowns, but the other girl seems amused. Good for her.

Once everyone is separated into groups, Mrs. Horrible tells us that we have to write three poems, all different but related in some way. Three. Freaking. Poems. We also have to perform them in front of the class! There's also an essay tacked on at the end. Fang jabs me with his pencil. "You're doing all the work," he tells me, his signature smirk plain on his face.

"Uhhhhhh, no, I'm not," I reply, tossing my hair. "You know how bad I am at writing poems." Plus, Fang's the creative one. Oh, and also the artistic one. You should see the drawings he creates; they're bee-yoo-tiful. I'm so jealous.

Anyway . . . we spend the rest of the period fooling around and being oh-so-productive. The next period is gym, and I'm really looking forward to that. I'm not particularly athletic, but I'm pretty strong—as in, I can pack a good punch, so don't piss me off—and I looooove running. Running makes me feel so . . . free. I'm not weighed down by anything when I run; my feet are just flying along, with nothing holding me back. It's an amazing feeling.

Fang's in my gym period, so we head down together. "See ya, Iggy," I call over my shoulder as we walk down the stairs. He nods and makes his way to whatever period he has next. Once we've all changed into our gym uniforms and Coach Jefferson has called roll, he tells us that we're doing sprints this week. Yay! I feel a thrill of joy run through me and happiness soars in my chest like a newly hatched bird flying. Wait, what? Woah there, Max. Don't let Fang hear you getting all poetic, or he might make you do all the work on the language arts project.

Nudge bounces over with Ella (yeah, 7th and 8th graders have gym together). "Max! We're doing sprints!" Well, duh, Coach just told us that. Of course, telling her won't make that much of a difference, so I just roll my eyes and exchange half-amused, half-frustrated glances with Fang as she chatters on. "I'm horrible at sprints! Everyone will laugh at me. It'll be terrible. But you're a great runner, Max; you're sooo lucky. I'm not athletic at _all_ . . ." I tune her out until we get to the track outside.

"Fang, Max, Lily, and Roger. You're up." Coach Jefferson nods to the three of us.

Fang and I walk up to the starting line as well as Lily, a nice blond girl who I've been friends with since elementary school, and Roger, a brown-haired nerdy-looking guy. He pushes his glasses up his nose nervously and Lily joins me. She makes a face as we stretch for a few seconds. "Gah. I hate sprints."

I laugh. "Sprints are fun," I say in reply. She stares at me incredulously and I grin back. We get into our starting positions.

"On your mark . . . get set . . . GO!" I throw myself forward, relishing the feeling of the wind against my face. My legs pump harder and I pull ahead of Lily, Roger, and Fang. This feels _amazing._ I can feel my blondish-brown hair streaming along behind me and I feel like I did in my dream, like I'm flying. It's not as awesome as it felt in my dream, but it's close enough.

Something enters my line of vision. The something gets closer, and I can tell that it's Fang. What—how is he gaining on me? I was the fastest in the seventh grade! But then again, he went through that growth spurt in the middle of summer and his legs are probably longer now . . . curse puberty. I pour on the speed but it doesn't work, and we cross the finish line together.

"Very well done, Ride and Collins! Very well done." Roger comes panting up a minute later, and then, finally, Lily, who's red in the face. She plops down on the grass, breathing hard, but manages to give me a weak thumbs-up. I burst out laughing and bend down to hug her despite the fact that we're both all sweaty and gross.

"Hey, how come I don't get a hug?" Fang complains. I blink, then smirk, shaking my head. He fake-pouts and my heart does this little annoying flutter thing. I don't even know why . . . so instead I focus on the next set of runners.

"Nudge, Ella, Emily, and Josh!" Nudge is still talking super-fast as she joins the starting line; I can tell by Ella's expression that she's trying to get her best friend to shut up. Emily, a super-nice and super-athletic Asian girl, is stretching, a determined look on her face. Josh, some stuck-up jock, is waiting casually in the starting position, apparently too cool for stretches. Hah. Emily will show him.

"Ready . . . set . . . GO!" They take off, Emily and Josh taking the lead. I'm cheering for Ella and Nudge, but I'm watching Emily. Gosh, that girl runs amazingly. She has the grace of a gazelle and the speed of a cheetah . . . oh, crap, there I go being poetic again. Anyway. I grin and give her the thumbs-up as she crosses the finish line way ahead of everyone else.

"Good job!" She smiles and thanks me; then we watch the rest of out gym class run sprints. Most are either really lousy or decent. There's no one as fast as Emily . . . or me, actually, but that sounds kinda stuck-up. Eh. Whatever.

Our next class is orchestra. Yes, yes, I'm not really the orch-dorky type, but I heard the sound of a violin once in first grade and it was so pretty I wanted to learn it. So, I now play the violin. I love having orchestra after gym, because that means I can sit back and relax after whatever workout we did in gym. Fang and Emily are in my orchestra period as well (they both play cello), so we all walk up to the orchestra room together, laughing and joking around. (Actually it's more like Emily and I are laughing and joking around—Fang, of course, just walks along in silence and smirks.)

Once the bell rings, our conductor—Mrs. Mayson—claps her dainty hands together. The class immediately quiets down. Mrs. Mayson is old and strict, but we've all grown to love and respect her. Well, most of us. Anyway . . . she gets us started by tuning, then we play a few scales to warm up, and finally we get started in our music.

I'm fifth chair, first violin—not that good, but who cares? I'm pretty content where I am. Fang is amazingly good at cello and he's first chair. His stand partner, second chair, is Emily. Gosh, that girl is just amazing at everything she does, isn't she? ...*awkward silence* Okay yeah anyway. We're playing Phantom of the Opera right now, also known as THE MOST AMAZING MUSICAL EVER.

I'm not gonna bore you and describe every single note I play, so let's skip ahead to next period. LUNNNCHH. Also known as my favorite period of the day! Our school is small, so all three grades have lunch together. It's awesome because I get to hang out with Gazzy, Angel, Nudge, Ella, Fang, Emily, and Jenna, a tall skinny girl. She's our first chair violist and she is HILARIOUS. We all get our food and sit down; Nudge, of course, is talking rapidly about her day. Words are shooting out of her mouth like bullets—gah, I swear, I really need to stop with the poetic stuff.

"Hey, Max." I jump at the sound of my name and turn around to see Fang looking at me intently.

"Hmm?"

He looks at me for a few more seconds. It starts to get really awkward, but then he says, "So do you wanna come over with Iggy after school so we can get some ideas for our language arts project?"

I'm really confused. I'd thought he was gonna say something else, what with that look on his face . . . Fang seems to take my silence as uncertainty, so he adds, "You know, we really didn't get that far second period."

I shrug off my thoughts and laugh. "Yeah, sure. My mom probably won't mind." I mean, Fang lives across the street, so it's not like I need a ride or anything. He nods and turns around to tell Iggy while I tune into whatever Ella, Nudge, and Angel are chattering about—probably something Justin Bieber related. (I was right: they were talking excitedly about his new song, Boyfriend.)

Sixth period is US History, also known as my nap time. I have the best teacher ever: Mr. Williams. He is really cool and pretty much lets us do whatever we want. I've fallen asleep a couple of times in his class; he doesn't even care. Like I said, best teacher ever. Today we're watching some movie—I don't even bother to see what it's about before laying my head on my arms and promptly falling asleep.

"Uh, Max?" Jenna shakes me awake. I blink up at her. "It's time to go . . . the bell just rang." Oh. Crap. I hurry to gather up my stuff and grin sheepishly at her. She smiles back and we hurry to math, making it to our seats just in time.

"Max is late!" says a high-pitched, squeaky voice. I have to hold back a groan. _Lissa._ Math is my least favorite class of the day. Not only because I suck at the subject, not because I have a horrible teacher that loves to play favorites, it's because I have the most annoying girl I have ever had the misfortune to meet in my class: Lissa Brown.

Lissa is short with flaming red hair, and she is incredibly popular. For the first week of middle school or so, she'd be really nice to me. It was well into the school year when I realized she didn't want to be friends with _me_, she just wanted to get closer to Fang. Yeah. I ditched her and she's hated me ever since. The worst part is that she's _still _trying to get Fang to like her.

And everyone loves her—even the teachers.

Jenna shoots me a sympathetic glance as Mrs. Miller glares down at me through the small glasses perched on her nose. Our math teacher is really, really old, and horrible. She loves some certain people (cough cough LISSA cough cough), but others . . . let's just say she'd probably force detention on every single student if she could. "Max, tardy. Jenna, tardy. I'm disappointed, ladies." She tsks softly as she marks our names down on the attendance sheet.

Jenna's mouth falls open and I can't believe what I'm hearing. We weren't tardy! We were in our seats when the bell rang! Lissa smirks at me, sticking out her tongue when Mrs. Miller isn't looking. It's not like she'd care if she saw, anyway.

Jenna and I pass some notes. By the end of the class period, we've come up with an interesting list of ways to kill Lissa and Mrs. Miller. That girl is quite creative. Smirking, we hurry out of class as soon as the bell rings and part our ways. Science, my last period, passes by quickly—I work with Iggy on a science review sheet (he types up the answers, since his handwriting is horrible. Well, he can't see, so what did you expect?) Finally, FINALLY, the day is over. Yay!

Iggy rides the bus home with Fang and I, since he'll be working on the Language Arts project with us. Hmm. This should be an interesting afternoon.

**This chapter was really... draggy and ugh. I thought it was horrible. Sorry, guys. :c **

**Hopefully the next chapters will be better. There is some fax coming up, you'll just have to wait xD and also there probably won't be a set update schedule or chapter length; I just write until I get to a good stopping point, and whenever I have time. It'll probably be around once a week though. :P Please review! Reviewing = motivation = faster updates! Thanks for reading :3**

**~Stunningfire**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I know y'all probably hate me, but really, don't blame me! Blame my muse, Cato (yes I name various objects of my life after Hunger Games characters. Don't judge) because he decided to go on vacation and leave me with a huge writers' block. RAGEEEE. Trust me, you do not want to read what I attempted to write :P I still have a little bit of writers' block, so this chapter is really crappy, but I decided to stop making y'all wait. xP Onto review replies (thanks for giving me so many, btw! I was really happy :D)**

**Faxlastsforever ~ Yay for happiness! Awwh you don't :P Fax will probably take a chapter or two more. **

**16DREAMerz ~ Sorry your name didn't show up on the last chapter. o.o So I shortened it. Hope you don't mind, hehe. Thanks for reviewing :3**

**Jenna ~ thanks hun. :)**

**IggyIsAwesome13 ~ Thank you so much! I'm sorry I took so long :(**

**Ang ~ Yes they are, and yes I know(;**

**jordygirl ~ thank you thank you thank you! ^^**

**BanksieMalfoy ~ DRAMOINE FTW j/s. Haha yeah I needed someone with those personalities in the story, just 'cause I felt like it :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Maximum Ride. Or Fang, although I wish I did. :(**

After dropping by my house to tell my mom where I would be (she said yes, of course, because I am _such_ a responsible child) I led Iggy to Fang's house. He'd already called his mom and gotten her permission, so we just walked casually into the house. I breathed in the familiar smell of burnt food (Fang's mom is convinced that she is an amazing cook, and no one has the guts to tell her that she really isn't) and called out a greeting. "Hey, Mrs. Collins!"

"Wha—oh, hi, Max," says Fang's mom, appearing in an apron. Her face is flushed and she hastily wipes her hands on the apron. "And Iggy! What brings you two over today?" She's used to the two of us often dropping by randomly. I love Fang's mom—she's really cool and lax about stuff, just like my mom. The two of them are best friends, by the way; I'm pretty sure they gossip about Fang and I.

"We're working on a project," Iggy pipes up innocently. I hold back a giggle at his expression—Iggy knows how to play the adults, but nothing fools Mrs. Collins.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Iggy. I'll just let the three of you do whatever," she says, waving her hands at us. "Will you stay until dinner? I can cook, if you'd like," she offers, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Erm, thanks, but that's fine, Mom," Fang replies, ushering us up the stairs. "We'll just go out for dinner like we planned." The three of us enter his room and close the door, chuckling.

"So, uhm." I take off my backpack and rummage through it, drawing out a piece of paper and a pencil. "Any ideas?" I write _Poem Brainstorming_ neatly at the top of the paper.

"We could write about war and its effect on people," offered Fang when Iggy just sat there with a blank look on his face. "You know teachers always gobble up that type of depressing stuff." I nod and write down _War. _

"I call dibs on writing about the bombs," Iggy says helpfully.

"Oh, I see, now you talk. I'm rolling my eyes, Ig," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Fine, fine. We could do... explosives? Nuclear bombs?"

"Yeah, uhm. Maybe you should go back to being quiet." I stop myself from snickering as he frowns slightly. "Let's think of more stuff on the depressing theme. Maybe we could do a story sort of poem? Like... some kid gets beat up at school, and uhm..." I trail off, not sure where I was going with this.

"And then he sets off a bomb in the school!" Iggy chimes in. This time Fang and I don't hesitate to inform him that we're both rolling our eyes.

Fang shifts in his seat. "Okay, so he's getting bullied." I start to write. "Then he decides to tell the bullies how he feels, and they decide they're sorry and everyone..." He pauses when I stop writing and make a face. "Too cheesy?"

"Cheesy doesn't even cover it, Fang," I say. "It's like dipping a slice of cheese into a bowl of cheese fondue and then sprinkling Parmesan on it and eating it with some macaroni and cheese." He blinks and raises his eyebrows slightly and I smirk.

"Okay, okay. I like the story idea though," Fang says thoughtfully.

"We don't have to do the bullies." I cross out what I've written and tap the pencil against my chin, frowning slightly as I think. My thinking process is interrupted as I hear Fang's mom calling us.

"I have some brownies made for you guys, if you're not too busy!" Fang and I both exchange amused glances, silently agreeing to act busy, but Iggy bounces up from his chair and runs downstairs.

Fang sighs. "Nothing keeps Iggy from food, even if it's made by my mom..." I laugh and we both get up, walking slowly downstairs. Yeah, I know that Iggy's part of our group and it would be unfair to brainstorm without him, but I kinda wish that it could be just Fang and I in the room, working together.

Wait. What?

We're best friends, so naturally I enjoy spending time with him, but I've never minded Iggy's presence before... so, uh, just pretend I never said that. Shaking my head slightly, I join Iggy and Fang at the table. Looks like we won't have any work done today.

~Timeskip~

Ella glances up as I enter the house. "How was it?" she asks almost bitterly. I have to keep myself from physically jumping back at the coldness of her voice.

Before I speak, I have to clear my throat a few times. "Wh-what?"

"How was hanging out with Fang? And Iggy?" she added. Then I realized what was wrong and almost laughed.

"Is my little sister jealous?" I smirk at her sheepish smile. "Don't worry—Iggy's all yours."

"He doesn't like me," Ella retorts angrily. "If I could hang out with him more, maybe he would, but we're in different grades and stuff—"

"Ella." I look into her eyes and see that behind the blazing "anger" is hurt, frustration, and despair. "I know for a fact that Iggy likes you. It's kind of obvious. Both of you are just too . . . scared to admit it, and too stubborn to believe that it's true."

Ella frowns. "Thanks, Max, but I can tell that you're just trying to make me feel better. It's not working," she adds flatly and walks away. I blink a few times. This is the first time Ella's acted like this; what's going on? What happened to my happy, bubbly little sister?

After resolving to find out what happened, I walk into my room . . . and collapse on my bed, falling promptly asleep.

~Timeskip~

"Where's Iggy?" I ask the next morning, after we get off the bus. A sideways glance at Ella tells me that she's pointedly looking away. Fine, then.

Fang shrugs in reply. Puzzled, I walk into the school. He's usually waiting for us, but maybe he just overslept or something. I glance at my sister again. "Uh, Ella? Do you happen to have any idea where Iggy is?"

Bad move. Her eyes flash as she spits, "Probably hanging out with _Lissa._" Wait. What? Where the heck does Lissa come into this? I don't even know that Ella _knew_ Lissa. Well, apparently she does, and it's not a great relationship either, seeing how my sister storms away in the direction of her locker.

"What's up with Ella?" Nudge pipes up, brown eyes puzzled. Hmm. So her best friend doesn't know what's up, either. That's strange; the two usually tell each other everything.

"Yeah, what's wrong with her?" Gazzy asks. "She's usually all over-excited. Like Nudge and Angel," he adds, and they both scowl at him.

"I dunno. Nudge, try to find out, 'k?" She nods, a puzzled expression still on her face, and we part ways. I'm distracted throughout French and when we get to Language Arts, we find out that Iggy is absent today. Hopefully Ella will cheer up with that information; why would Iggy be hanging out with Lissa instead of us, anyway?

Anyway, we're working on our poems again, so I take out the brainstorming list from my binder and go join Fang. We sit in an awkward silence for a while, both lost in our own thoughts—I'm still puzzling over Ella, and Fang, well, who knows what's going on in that brain of his?

"Hey, Max. You look nice today."

Wait. What? I blink and shake my head slightly. I must have misheard. "Excuse me?"

He smirks, of course. "Nevermind." Shrugging, I return to the brainstorming list and try to think of a topic.

"Hey, Max," Fang says again.

"Whaaat?" I growl. "I'm trying to concentrate here." No ideas have been popping into my head for the past half hour (**A/N: Much like me. T_T**).

"Do you wanna come over again today? I know Iggy's probably sick or something, but that doesn't mean we can't work on the project anyway . . . besides, it'll be easier without him yelling about bombs and being distracted with food and we probably won't get anywhere this class period." I sigh and he smirk, both of us knowing that he's right.

"Fine."

**I'm so sorry. This chapter sucked and it took forever to write. ;-; Forgive me and leave a review?**

**Random note: we were taking a reading test and there was this story about a guy who dressed in black converse, black jeans, and black shirt. My friend and I were discussing it afterward and we were both like FANNNG. Yeah anyway. Bye. xP**


	4. Chapter 4

**Woot over 20 reviews! Thanks guys :D And I now has a beta: Fluffy. Bunnies. Are. So. Cute! *applause* so hopefully the story will be even better with her help :D**

**pancakes-for-you ~ Oh sorry, was it really that short? :( and haha I need to learn how to cook xD**

**Faxlastsforever ~ muahaha. :K**

**Booklover72 ~ Thanks! :D**

**IggyIsAwesome13 ~ Glad you think so; here's your update ;3**

**Fluffy. Bunnies. Are. So. Cute ~ What's wrong with Martinez Middle :P And YAYYY THANKS**

**BanksieMalfoy ~ *is proud* Ahhh it was short? MUST. WRITE. LONGER. CHAPTERS. D: Thanks for reviewing hun!**

**Jordygirl ~ Haha you got that right! I have a little mini-plot-thing for Eggy stuff planned out. (: Honestly, Fax is the perfect couple but Eggy is just SOOO CUTE!**

**Annemarie787 ~ Yay happy happy! Thanks for reviewing :3**

**Mustaches ~ it's all your fault. I blame you. :c Soon I'm gonna start listening to MLP… JUST 'CAUSE OF YOU! So feel bad.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Maximum Ride or Speak Now(: Property of James Patterson and Taylor Swift!**

"Oh, you're funny, Max," Fang says sarcastically after I finish a lame joke. I snicker as Fang rolls his eyes, then checks his phone. "Oh hi there . . . a text from our resident pyromaniac, Iggy." I hold back a laugh at Fang's talkative-ness. We'd just gotten to his house and finished off a plate of — store-bought — chocolate chip cookies. Yum! But honestly, my mom makes better. Anyway, this is Fang's version of sugar-high.

"What does it say?" I lean to peer over Fang's shoulder and he tilts the phone so I can see. (By the way, his phone's black, as expected. Well, please tell me you saw that coming...) Iggy's text reads: _hey guys, sorry i wasnt at school today. i have a fever but yall can work on the project w/o me. not that youd hesitate to ;)_

What is that supposed to mean? … Nevermind, forget I asked. I'm not sure I want to know, seeing this is Iggy we're talking about.

Fang and I walk upstairs into his room, and the first place I go, is his bed. (No, not like _that_, you perverts). He chuckles and takes out the 'Poem Brainstorming List'. Yup, definitely sugar-high.

"Can we do something science fiction?" I ask, my voice muffled by his fluffy pillow. Of course, he understands me because he knows me just that well.

"Um, yeah, sure, it's better than bombs like Iggy would say, anyway." I smile. "What do you want to do?"

"Uhh." I think for a while. What would be something that would be easy to write a poem about? Poem… poetic… graceful… wings… MY DREAM! "That's it!" I yell, bolting upright from the bed, ungracefully toppling off it. Fang blinks at me, clearly thinking that I've gone insane.

"We're-gonna-do-a-buncha-kids-that-have-avian-DNA-in-them-so-they-have-wings!" I shout, face planted in his equally fuzzy carpet. What's with Fang and his fuzziness? Hmm… Maybe he has a fuzzy stuffed animal too! …Okay, maybe I'm a bit sugar-high as well.

He blinks again. I open my mouth to repeat myself, but he interrupts, saying, "That's a good idea, Max…" How in the world did he understand me? "But have you been spending a little _too_ much time around Nudge?" Oh, yeah, him being Nudge's brother must mean that he's had a lot of practice with fast talking. I find the two of them being siblings extremely ironic, by the way.

"Blame the cookies," I mutter, pulling myself up off the ground.

Fang snickers. "Okay, bad cookies. Anyway…like I said, that's a good idea, but we're going to need a story plot, yes?" I frown, obviously not having thought of that.

"Oh well. We can think of that later." I bounce over to him and snatch the pen out of his hand — and a tingle that jolts through my arm at his touch surprises me. He tilts his head slightly, puzzled, at the look on my face. What was that? Eh, whatever. I grin back and write _Avian/human hybrids_ on the paper.

"Good, now we can—oh, sorry." My phone has started blasting Speak Now by Taylor Swift, which is an amazing song by the way.

"_I am not the type of girl…who should be rudely barging in on a white-veil occasion. But you are not the type of boy…"_

"Hello?"

"Hey, Max, it's Ella." I frown slightly at her voice. Even through the phone, I can tell something's wrong. Maybe it's the same thing that's been bothering her since last night; hopefully it's nothing too serious. But why is she calling me?

"Hey Ells, wassup?"

"Where are you?"

"At Fang's house…?" Oh, wait. "CRAP I FORGOT TO TELL MOM."

Ella lets out a sigh of relief from the other end of the phone. Oh, so that's what was bothering her. "Okay, good, Mom was freaking out…that's not the only reason I called you though." I blink.

"Go on."

"Uh, so I got a text from Iggy telling me he's sick, that's why he didn't come to school today…"

"Yeah Fang told me," I reply, wondering where this was going.

"I'm sorry I was so bitter today." She sounds…really happy, and really relieved. What the heck? I get that she's relieved because I'm safe, but why would she be so happy that Iggy's sick?

"Oh it's fine, hun. We all have our days," I soothe none-the-less.

"No, that's not…" She trails off and I can hear Mom yelling in the background.

"_TELL MAX TO GET OVER HERE THIS MINUTE!_" Oh, crap.

"Guess you'd better go." Ella sounds downcast, and I wonder what made her mood change so fast.

"'Kay. Bye Ells," I say, snapping my phone closed. "So, Fang, my mom's really mad and she wants me to go now… so uh. Bye, I guess."

"Bye, Max." I look at him, realizing that I don't want to leave. And it's not because he's my best friend.

I don't know what came over me, but all of a sudden, I'm in Fang's arms. My face is pressed up against his shirt, and for some reason my first thought is, _He smells good. Like, really good. _Then I realized . . . Oh. My. Gosh. I'm hugging Fang.

_Fang._

**I was gonna have a chapter break here, but since I wrote the next part anyways I decided to be nice and include it. xD**

**Fang POV**

I'm not really sure what happened. All of a sudden Max throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. My face is in her hair, and I notice how soft it is, even though I'm completely taken by surprise. Wait, surprise doesn't even cover it. I'm . . . shocked.

Maybe that's why I don't respond. Apparently registering what she's done and my stiffness, Max pulls back and I can see a blush forming on her cheeks. "Fang! I-I didn't — I mean —!"

_Wait. No! _My arms wrap around her, holding her close and forbidding her to pull away. Max's eyes widen and I can see that she's lost for words. "Don't move," I whisper. The feeling of Max in my arms, the scent of her hair, the warmness of her body pressed against mine . . . dang, I could get used to this.

Slowly I tilt my head to look down at Max. She's still wide-eyed. Her cheeks are flushed red. My hand gently cups her face and I lean forward, pulling her close . . .

"Fang." She pushes me away; I blink, startled. Was I just about to kiss Max? My best friend? And are those _tears_ in her eyes? "Fang, I'm sorry — I can't. I just can't." I'm standing there, feeling cold without her warmth, completely unsure about what's just happened and what's happening now. A single tear slides down her cheek. _Why is she crying?_

Without another word, Max turns and runs. Guess all those sprints in gym paid off. I don't make a move to stop her, even though my best friend is running away. Running away from me. Because I tried to kiss her.

Those darn cookies.

**Max POV**

I'm running, away from Fang's house, away from Fang, down the street. I don't even know where I'm going; I just keep running. I keep my feet moving. I don't stop, because I know if I do, I'll have to face what's just happened. So I keep going.

My phone rings again. I don't answer and continue to run as another tear slips down my cheek. "_This is surely not what you thought it would be_…" Ha, yeah, no kidding.

Eventually I wind up at some park. There's no one here; the wind blows some dead leaves around and I collapse on a bench. I'm sobbing, and I don't even know why. My brain hasn't registered what's happened. "_I lose myself in a daydream…" _Me, hugging Fang . . . Fang, cupping my cheek, pulling me closer . . . _he's my best friend._ But I know that's not why I'm feeling like this right now.

I've promised not to, not after what I've been through. Yet somehow . . . I liked it. The feeling of safety, in his arms. No, I loved it.

And… I think I love Fang.

**Yes, yes, Max will grow to accept it eventually. You'll just have to wait. ;) By the way, I totally didn't mean to add the lyrics in. I was just listening to Speak Now and felt like adding in some lyrics. xD Review please! Even if this was a little short, it had a lot of stuff happening in it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, sorry for the really long wait. Finals have started and all the teachers have been piling reviews and stuff on us, so yeah... BUT THEN, WHEN I GOT THE WHOLE CHAPTER READY, MY INTERNET DECIDED TO EXPLODE. There's my excuse. xP**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I can't believe I've gotten to 40 already. Okay, so I'll just reply to reviews in a PM from now on to limit the length of the author's note :)**

**Also, I wanted to give a shout-out to **_**Faxlastsforever**_** and **_**Fax is forever**_**! They both confuse me to no end with their names xD You two are so fun to talk to, and motivate me to update! Thank you! Please check out their stories, ****Supernatural Love**** and ****The Renegade****, which are both really good but in need of reviews.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Maximum Ride. Thanks to Fluffy. Bunnies. Are. So. Cute for being my amazing beta! Onto the story~****  
**

* * *

**Max POV:**

Wait. What the heck am I saying? I love Fang, sure, but just as a friend. It's always been just as a friend, nothing more. Besides, he doesn't date — he's established that ever since our first day at junior high, when every girl started gushing over him. So why would I ever consider the fact that I might have those kinds of feelings for him?

Shaking my head slightly, I push these thoughts away to the back of my mind. Then I realize that my phone is still buzzing angrily. Um. Oops. Wiping my tears away — why in the world was I crying, anyway? The great Max does not cry. Not since last year — I flip open my phone and press it to my ear.

"MAXIMUM RIDE!" _Oh crap_, I think, swallowing hard. "WHERE ON EARTH ARE YOU? COME BACK HOME THIS INSTANT!"

"Yes, Mom," I reply meekly.

There was a loud, angry huff on the other end. "DON'T 'YES MOM' ME!" Well, I just did. Obviously I don't say this aloud; I'm not that stupid. "JUST GET YOUR REAR END OVER HERE, MISSY!" She hangs up on me and I sigh, rising to my feet. I feel kind of numb for some reason. My mom is mad at me, but I don't think that's why I'm upset… I am upset, right? Something I was thinking about earlier?

I don't remember and I don't really want to think about it. Doesn't thinking about upsetting things make you upset? Yeah. I don't want to be upset. Feeling hazy and confused, I head home, ready for whatever Mom has in store for me.

**(A/N: If you're confused, Max built up a habit of being able to shut out things she doesn't want to think about…I guess you could also say she's kinda delirious. Whatever. xD)**

So now I'm grounded for a month. Which I don't really care about, 'cause I can just use the project as an excuse to go over to Fang's or Iggy's. (The upsetting feeling gets worse when I think about Fang, for some reason, but I force myself not to think about it.) The other part of my punishment is what really upsets me, though. No dessert for the rest of the month.

Which means…_no homemade chocolate chip cookies._

**(A/N: This next part will probably sound familiar to some of you, 'cause I was rereading Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports and went OMG! THIS WOULD FIT PERFECTLY IN MY STORY IF I ALTERED IT A LITTLE! So yeah, this is almost the same as that one chapter.**

**Oh, and also Fang has a blog. Forgot to mention that earlier, hehe.)**

**Fang POV**

What am I going to do, _blog_ about Max running away from me just so I won't try to kiss her again? No! Instead I smash my fist against the wall of my room, then grimace from the pain and stupidity. The almost instance swelling, and bruised knuckles make me wince, but I don't care.

I straighten the mess of papers, arranging them into a neat pile in case she comes back and wants the brainstorming stuff. Neither is likely.

Brushing aside her bag – which she has forgotten in her mad-dash away from me – I make a Fang-sized area on my bed. I lay down where she had been laying down earlier, seeking comfort in my fluffy pillow. I don't want to check my blog — I'd had almost eight hundred thousand hits earlier — and I don't want to do anything except lie still and think.

Max.

She's so stubborn. And tough. And closed in. No, closed off. Except when she's comforting Ella, or ruffling the Gasman's hair, or pushing something closer to Iggy's hand so he can find it easily without knowing anyone had helped him. Or when she is trying to untangle Nudge's mane of hair. Or — sometimes — when she is looking at me.

I shift on my bed, a half-dozen flashes of memory cycling through my brain.

Max, looking at me and laughing.

Max, leaping forward from her starting position, extending her long legs, running off, so incredibly powerful and graceful that it takes my breath away.

Max hissing threats at Lissa, her face like stone.

Max kissing that weiner Dylan in front of our school.

Gritting my teeth, I roll onto my side.

Just now, her warm body pressed against mine.

I wish she were here, if not next to me, then somewhere in the room, so I can hear her breathing. Sighing, I reach over and grab my sketchbook, as well as my laptop. Might as well, right?

**(A/N: Okay, the next part might be a little confusing but I think you'll figure it out. If not, it'll all make sense eventually. ;) ALRIGHT I'LL STOP WITH THE AUTHOR'S NOTES I PROMISE.)**

He smiled at me, holding out his arms. Grinning, I leaped into his embrace, enjoying the feel of his warm body against mine. "Hey," he murmured into my hair.

"Hey," I replied, craning my head to look at his beautiful, deep turquoise eyes. They softened as I continued to gaze at him.

"You're beautiful," he whispered before he leaned in. His lips met mine, his arms curling around my waist, and I smiled happily. I was so lucky to have him. He was adorable, kind, loving, sweet, and just the best boyfriend a girl could hope to have.

"Tonight. My house?" he asked as he pulled away. Alright, before you start thinking pervertedly, I trusted him. Like, a lot. He wouldn't let anything like that happen to me — I mean, we were in middle school! It was just nice to hang out together, you know. And yeah, sure, make out. But hey, can you blame me? He was amazing.

"Yeah, sure," I breathed. His warm breath fanned my face as he gently brushed aside my hair and leaned in for another kiss.

**Max POV**

"Where in the world is my backpack?" I hiss. Ella shrugs, her eyes glued to the computer. What is she doing anyway? I peer over her shoulder.

**EllaNutella:** so i heard u were sick?

**TheIgster:** yeah… it sux

**EllaNutella:** o. srry at least u get to skip school, rite?

**TheIgster:** i guess

Ohmygoodness! This is too cute. "He misses you," I croon, and Ella jumps in surprise. She swivels around in the chair and glares at me. Well, I couldn't exactly pass up the opportunity.

"Max, seriously." Ella rolls her eyes. "And uh, maybe you left your backpack at Fang's?"

Fang?

Oh. Fang. I blink a few times, then nod slowly. "Yeah… you're probably right. I'll go over right now." I walk away, not noticing the look of confusion on her face or even realizing that she had just been changing the subject.

"Hey, Mrs. Collins," I greet Fang's mom.

"Oh, hey, Max." She nods at me and goes back to the magazine she was reading, munching on an apple. Mrs. Collins is seriously so cool; she doesn't care if I just run around her house as I please. Sure, she may be called strange by some people — I mean, who names their kids Fang and Nudge? — but I love her.

"If you're looking for Fang, I think he's still in his room," Fang's mom says pointedly, and I realize that I've been standing here for a while without saying anything. Oops. I thank her and head for his room, taking the steps two at a time as usual. For some reason there's a strange feeling in my stomach that I can't seem to place.

Deciding to ignore it, I raise my hand and knock gently on the door. Once, twice. There's no answer, so I rap it again. Wait, why am I even bothering? The many times I've been over to Fang's, I've never knocked before. What made this time different?

Something had happened. Knowing me, I'd probably pushed it out of my mind, so I decide not to think about it and walk on in. "Hey, Fa —," I say, then stop mid-sentence.

He's stretched out on the bed, sleeping deeply. Soft snores fill the room and I don't have the heart to disturb him. Fang's face is so peaceful when he sleeps; so open, instead of closed off like he usually is. Hardly knowing what I'm doing, I reach out one hand and gently brush aside a stray lock of ebony hair.

My gaze travels to his arm, which is wrapped around a sketchbook. Like I said, he's the artistic type, although he never likes anyone to see his drawings. I wonder why. Curiosity overcomes me and I pry aside his arm, gently easing the sketchbook from his grasp.

It's flipped open to a page with a very detailed drawing of… an angel? Gentle curves make an oval-shaped face, framed with long wavy hair. The eyes are carefully drawn, a warm look in them. There's a pair of beautiful, feathery wings sprouting from her back and her body is slim and lithe. There is a pair of running shoes on her feet.

It's the shoes that make me realize…it's me: Maximum Ride, the angel.

Wait, what the heck? Why would he be drawing me as an angel? Maybe I've misinterpreted the drawing… but no, those shoes are definitely mine. I place the sketchbook beside the sleeping Fang's head and walk over to the desk, where I see a sheet of paper with my handwriting on it.

_Poem Brainstorming List_. My eyes travel down the page and they reach _'Avian/human hybrids_.' Ah, so that would explain the wings and stuff. He must have drawn me because he was bored, and probably wanted to please me or something. I'm satisfied that I've figured out the whole situation until my gaze falls on his laptop, which is open to a page titled "Fang's Blog." What the heck? He never told me that he had a blog!

Being the nosy person that I am — well, okay, I probably wouldn't be doing this if he weren't my best friend — I reach over and grab the laptop. The heading of his new post confuses me.

"_Am I in Love?_"

Why is Fang asking about love? He already has many girls swooning over him, yet he's chosen to be single. It's pretty simple. If he wants a girlfriend, he has dozens of options. Who can refuse those deep eyes of his, that husky voice? If he wants to stay single, no biggie, right? Except for maybe Lissa. Oh, gosh, I hope he hasn't fallen in love with her. That would be…_horrible_, to say the least.

Worried, I scan through his old posts.

"_Today, she did the funniest thing…_"

"_Gosh, she's so amazing I can't…_"

"_Is this normal? To be thinking about someone this much, I mean?_"

"_How is it possible for someone so perfect to exist…_"

I'm freaking out right now. Fang never told me he was in love. Well, then again, he never told me he had a blog either… I scroll and scroll until I reach the one that I seem to be looking for.

_"So, guys, say there was this girl. You've been friends for a really long time, and you tell each other everything. (Well, I didn't tell her about this blog, because I pretty much spill everything I think about in here. If anyone that actually knows me finds this… well, I'm screwed.) Anyway, so all of a sudden, she's running and you realize…_

_"She's freaking beautiful._

_"And amazing. And funny. And perfect. And just everything that you've said you were waiting for your whole life._

_"Okay, so I'm not exactly good with girls. I don't date, even though there's dozens of girls who would kill for a chance to go out with me. I've never been interested in anyone before, never had a plan to be. Until I realized, well, I might have a crush on this one girl._

_"I've tried my best to make it sort of obvious, hoping she'd get a hint, but I think I really should give up. She's not going to ever think of me as more than a best friend. I mean, she's perfect and amazing, and I'm just… me. I've had to watch her date a couple of guys, and believe me, I wanted to punch the lights out of them sooo bad._

_"I guess I'm not really her type. But she's still my best friend, and she always will be. I guess that's what matters, right guys?"_

Oh. Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap… everything comes crashing down on me. I remember everything. Everything. What happened today, what happened a year ago, how I'd thought Fang had been joking around but really was his attempt at flirting— which really was pathetic, by the way – but that's beside the point.

I want to scroll through his other posts but then a sleepy voice says, "Max?"

Crap.

**Fang POV**

So, I wake up, and I see:

My best friend and my crush, reading my blog posts about her, my sketchbook not where I remember putting it before I fell asleep, and her eyes wide with shock. Wait, is she crying? Maximum Ride? For the second time in a day?

Max looks at me for a split second before running out the door.

Not _again._

**Okay uh they definitely should be in high school. But I don't really want to change that now, so just deal with me for this story, k? I'm sorry. xP**

**Also, did you notice how both of them described each other as closed off? But when they're around each other, they really aren't. So cute! :3**

**Check out ****Supernatural Love**** and ****The Renegade****! And please review, for this story and those two! Hopefully this chapter satisfies you, it took me a while to write but I don't like it that much… but please tell me your thoughts (:**

**Later,**

**Stunningfire**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so so so much for the 20 reviews! I have three things to say. First, I'm really really sorry but updates are going to be really irregular during the summer. This one was really late, but I won't be updating at a constant rate so yeah... I'm so sorry.**

**Second, about the confusing part last chapter, it wasn't in Fang's POV, sorry about that. It was in past tense while the rest of the story is in present tense. You should know what it is now ;) **

**Third, this chapter is dedicated to my wonderful beta, Haley (Fluffy Bunnies Are So Cute), and my best friend Jenna! Haley's birthday is today and Jenna's birthday is Wednesday. I love both of you! Since I wanted to give Haley a rest on her birthday this chapter isn't beta'd… so sorry about any errors xP**

* * *

**Max POV**

After four days, I have come to a conclusion: it's extremely hard to avoid your best friend.

Especially when they live next door to you.

I've been making excuses to Iggy — who's not sick anymore, by the way — about not working with them on the language arts project, even though it's due soon. I'm also ignoring Fang's many calls and texts. Well, at least it's Saturday, and I won't have to see him at school.

A knock on the door startles me, and I roll over on the bed. "Come in," I say, my voice muffled by my fluffy pillow. (_Not as fluffy as Fang's, though_, I think. _Ugh, Max. STOP._) Ella walks in and her eyes are bright with excitement.

"Max! Max! Guess what? OMG! I'm so excited!" She's bouncing up and down, and annoyance runs through me. I haven't been in a good mood since Tuesday, when I read Fang's blog, and anyone who _is_ in a good mood just bothers me. But then again, this is my sister, who I like to see happy.

"No, really?" I reply dryly. "What is it?"

"It's Nudge's birthday next Saturday, and she was originally gonna have her birthday party then, remember? But then something came up and her parents said she couldn't have it then, so she's having it today! And everyone's invited! You, Fang, Iggy, Angel, Gazzy, Emily, and Jenna! And me, of course!" She giggles. "It's gonna be sooo much fun and there's gonna be cake and ice cream and I'M SO EXCITED!"

I stopped listening at 'Fang.'

"Wait, so let me get this straight." I prop myself up on my elbows. "Nudge is moving her birthday party to… today? As in, today today?" _And Fang's going to be there?_ I add silently.

Ella nodded fervently_**. **_"This afternoon! At two-o-clock!" Her expression changes. "Oh my gosh, Max. We have to find clothes to wear!"

"Uh, correction. _You_ have to find clothes to wear. I'm just going in jeans and a t-shirt." Ella starts to protest but I'm not really listening, I'm panicking. How am I supposed to avoid Fang at this stupid birthday party? I groan and Ella pauses, tilting her head slightly.

"Wait, you _want_ to wear a skirt?"

"No! That's not — NO!" I shake my head, facepalming mentally.

Ella blinks. "Okay, Max. Well, see ya later!" She grins and skips out of the room and I collapse on my bed, not wanting to go at all.

* * *

But of course I have to, you know. Nudge is one of my few best friends. Well, she's really Ella's best friend, but you know what I mean. Come to think of it, all of my good friends are going to Nudge's birthday party. Plus it's not like Ella really gives me a choice.

"Hey, girl, look over there. I see someone in their underwear!" Angel and Ella chant, turning the rope for Nudge. I lean back in my chair, watching them with amusement. "You can do the flip, you can do the splits, but I bet ya fifty bucks you can't do this. Close your eyes and count to ten; whoever messes up has to marry him!"

They start to count, laughing as the rope catches Nudge's ankle at "nine."

"So close," Angel says. "Now it's my turn!"

"They are so cute," Jenna laughs, beside me.

Emily raises her eyebrows at her. "They're only two years younger than you, Em."

"Oh, be quiet," Jenna grumbles.

"I taught them that chant, by the way," Emily says.

"Apples on a stick just make me sick…" I tune out their chants and focus instead on the boys. Fang has to be here for his sister, but I highly doubt Iggy would be here if Ella weren't coming. He probably dragged Gazzy along with him. The two of them are currently engaged in a competition of "who can catch the most goldfish in his mouth." Iggy's pretty good, for a blind guy. Fang is watching them with amusement in his dark eyes as he leans back in his own chair, a soda in his hand.

I roll my eyes. Then my heart skips a beat as Fang lifts his gaze to mine. He says something to Iggy and Gazzy, who ignore him, and gets up from his chair. My heart pounds faster. _Oh no please no don't come over here please please,_ I think frantically. And then he's standing right in front of me.

"Max," he says softly."Can I talk to you? In private?" he adds, with a glance at Emily and Jenna. I sigh softly and get up, leading him to a spot away from the others.

"Max." I stare at a very interesting blade of grass beside my right foot. "Max," Fang repeats, more sternly this time. "Look at me."

I lift my gaze from the blade of grass and glare at him. "What is it, Fang?" Why is he so hard to avoid?

Fang sighs and doesn't say anything. It's his turn to stare at the ground. I seize my chance. "If you don't have anything to say, I'll just, uh, go grab some more punch." I try to sneak past him but he grabs me by the arm.

"No, Max. Just… listen, alright?" His dark eyes, unreadable, bore into mine. I lose my train of thought for a second and nod meekly. He lets go of my arm and it tingles where he had touched me. "I don't want this to happen to our friendship."

I try to pretend like I don't know what he's talking about. "What? I don't —"

"Max, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about," Fang cuts in. He knows me too well. My eyes return to the blade of grass. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you avoiding me at school? What about the excuses you kept making to Iggy? How about all the texts and calls you've avoided answering?" Okay, so maybe I was a bit obvious. But seriously, what did he expect me to do?

"Uh, pretend like it never happened?" Fang replies. I'm confused; then I realize I said that last part out loud. Oops.

"Easier said than done," I mutter quietly so that he doesn't hear me.

"I wanted to talk to you about that," Fang continues. "You're my best friend, Max, and I don't want to lose you. I really don't." His voice is earnest and I glance up against my will, seeing the truth in his eyes. "I want to start over. Just forget about it all, okay? I won't bring it up again, I promise."

I don't respond for a few seconds. "Max?" My arm is still tingling. Slowly I nod. "Thanks," he breathes and slips away. It's then I realize that was probably the most words I've ever heard him say. He must really want to go back to what we were — best friends, no more or less.

I'm not sure if that's what I really want.

* * *

"A piñata?" Gazzy stares at Nudge incredulously. "Nudge, you're thirteen."

Nudge shrugs. "Well, it's always fun to hit stuff, right? I mean, it's like POW and BAM and it's broken and it's not as if you're actually hitting something _real_… I thought boys liked to destroy things, anyway," she says with a raised eyebrow. Gazzy opens his mouth to reply but Nudge, being Nudge, continues. "Besides, there's candy inside. It's like, free candy! Only it's not really free, because we had to buy the piñata, but for you guys it's free. Who doesn't like candy, free or not free? I sure do. If you don't like candy, there's definitely something wrong with you —"

"Okay, we get it, Nudge," Angel cuts in gently.

"She has a point, Gazzy," I tell the boy. "Candy is always good." He shrugs, defeated.

"I get to go first," says Nudge. "Since it's my birthday party, after all." She grabs the bat, grins, and whacks the piñata — which is in the shape of a chicken. Poor thing.

"Me next!" Angel grabs the bat and attacks the chicken.

"Aren't we supposed to do this blindfolded?" Fang's voice sounds close to my ear and I jump.

My first instinct is to back away, and then I remember that I'm not avoiding him anymore. "Whatever." I shrug one shoulder. "It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"I guess not," Fang says, amused. He watches as Gazzy whacks the piñata, then Ella, Emily, and Jenna.

"Max! Your turn!" Ella chirps, handing me the bat. I don't want to be the one to break it open, so I purposely hit it lightly, and then hand the bat to Iggy.

"Yeah, give the blind guy a bat. Real smart," he smirks. Ella giggles and he hits the piñata hard. It breaks off partially, swinging wildly. "Alright, Fang, you're last," he says as he hands the bat to Fang with a pat on the back.

Fang flexes his arms, causing Angel and Nudge to break into giggles. I roll my eyes. That show-off. There's a huge smack as his bat connects with the piñata, and then it breaks apart, candy showering the ground. Everyone dives for it, grabbing as much as we can. Yeah, we're greedy.

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Nu-udge… happy birthday to you!" Happily, the brown-skinned girl blows out the candles. Cake is served. Two slices later, the cake is gone, and none of us are quite full yet, even after pizza, ice cream, candy, and cake. We all eat a lot.

"Okay, let's play another game," chirps Nudge, getting up from her chair. "Anyone have any ideas?"

"You know that game, where you have partners, and you tie your legs together and try to get across the finish line first?" Gazzy pipes up. "We could play that!"

"Lame," mutters Fang. I laugh softly and shove him.

"Good idea, Gaz," says Angel, and Ella and Nudge agree. Emily and Jenna say that they don't really care what we do next. So it is decided.

Nudge finds some random string she happened to have lying around and tells us to get into partners. Fang taps me on the shoulder and for some reason, I'm reluctant to become his partner. "Max?" he says in his husky voice.

I sigh. "Fine," I reply tightly. He blinks at me, startled at my tone, but I don't have any explanation, so I turn away and find another interesting blade of grass to stare at. He shrugs and goes to ask Nudge for some string.

"Ooh. It's the Ride—Collins pair! Better go easy on us." Nudge giggles and tells us to put our legs together so she can tie them. "You guys are so fast, I'm sure y'all will win," she chatters. "Or maybe Emily and Jenna. Emily's really fast, too. Well, good luck!" She finishes and moves on, leaving me with my leg stuck to Fang's.

Right now, I'm just trying to ignore the tingles running through my right leg constantly.

"On your mark, get set, GO!"

Fang and I push over, moving our legs carefully so that we don't trip. Usually something like this would come naturally, as we do almost everything together, but for some reason today I keep messing up. "C'mon, Max!" Fang teases. "Inside, outside, inside, outside! Hurry!"

Emily and Jenna pull up ahead of us. I risk a glance behind us; Ella and Angel are close behind, while Iggy and Gazzy are… what the heck? They're on the ground rolling toward the finish line. Okay, well, there wasn't exactly a rule that said you had to be on your feet, but… that's just awkward.

"Max!" Fang groans as I trip slightly.

"Sorry," I mumble and try to focus. Inside, outside. Inside, outside. Inside…

We're so close.

So close. And then Fang glances up at me, a small smile on his face, his eyes staring right into mine. I lose my focus and trip, bringing Fang down with me. "Oof," he groans as I land on top of him. Ella and Angel pull past us, coming in second, but I couldn't care less at the moment — I'm splayed out on top of Fang, those dark eyes capturing mine again.

At the moment, I knew for sure that I couldn't go back to being simply friends with him again.

* * *

**Horrible chapter, I know, I know. Review? Even though it's horrible and I kept you waiting? ;~; and be sure to leave a happy birthday message to Haley and Jenna! :D I'll try to update quicker next time, although I have a piano competition from Wednesday through Friday and I'll have to practice hard for that. So, maybe the week after next. Sorry xP Reviews = motivation!**

**~Stunningfire**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well… hello. I'm so sorry guys. I completely underestimated how little time I would have between events and random vacations… anyway, you probably don't even want to listen to me so here's the chapter. xP Thanks to Haley for being my beta!**

**Max POV**

_He reaches toward me, grasping my arms firmly. I gasp, my breaths coming in little pants, eyes wide. I try to pull away, but his grip is too strong. There is a predatory glint in his eyes, as he forces my shirt off. Goosebumps rise on my skin, and I finally realize what he is about to do. Then I scream and scream, but there's nothing. I'm helpless, completely helpless._

I shoot up in bed, gasping. _It was a dream, Max,_ I remind myself over and over. _Just a dream._ I shiver, remembering his cold, clammy hands over my skin, and I wrap my blankets over myself, in an attempt to feel warm. It doesn't work, and I know there's no way I can go to sleep now, so I put on a sweatshirt and wander downstairs in search of something to distract me.

I'm still cold, so I wander over to the fridge and grab some milk. While it's warming up, I boot up the computer and start surfing the net, not really paying attention to what I'm doing. My mind is still on my horrible dream. _I haven't had a flashback like that in a while,_ I think, typing something into the search bar. _Why did it come all of a sudden? I've been doing such a good job of pushing the memories away…_

It isn't until I'm clicking on the first post when I realize what I'd typed into the search bar: _Fang's Blog._ Why? Don't ask me, I have no idea. I read it anyway.

"_It's all good, Max and I are friends now. I still hope for more, but I'd rather be friends than just… somebody that she used to know. Yeah, I've been listening to that song by Gotye a lot recently. I'm so glad nothing like that happened to the two of us._

"_Sorry this is so short. I would write about something else, but Max is honestly all that's on my mind right now. Max, if you're reading this, I love you, but I'm not going to force you into loving me. You're my best friend. You've always been. I'm not going to lose that over this."_

After reading this, I stare at the screen blankly for a few seconds. The microwave beeps impatiently, but I make no move to get up. _Fang is so different from Dylan…_ I try to stop my thoughts, and turn them around, but it doesn't work. _He's not pushy, or demanding. He's more… real. Less fake. He really loves me,_ I realize.

My leg has fallen asleep, so I shake it out and get up to grab my milk. It's then, that I realize I'm not cold anymore.

**Ella POV**

My phone lights up and I frown, glancing over at it. It's almost 1 am — who'd be texting me at this time? (**A/N: like, all my friends. ANGIE. Sorry. By the way, I gave up on the text talk.) **I smile when I see Iggy's name. _"Hey, I can't sleep."_

"_Hey! Me neither,"_ I text back. _Because I was thinking of you,_ I think, but I'm way too chicken to add that. Iggy's a grade above me and he has so many girls to choose from; there's no way I can have a chance with him. I mean, even my best friend JJ — okay maybe not BEST friend but we're still pretty close — likes him, and there's no way I can tell either of them how I feel. Although, I think JJ knows already.

"_Okay talk to me then :)" _Iggy replies.

"_What's up?" _I ask him, unable to come up with a better answer.

"_Nothing much. Hey, are you going to the dance next week?"_

_Only if you take me,_ I think wishfully. _"I don't know, maybe. Nudge will probably make me come, though. Are you?"_

"_Now I am ;)"_

I smile. _"Oh, shut up you flirt."_ Yeah, I'm definitely secretly enjoying it.

"_Only for you, milady."_

I stifle my giggle. _"Hey, d'you know what's up with Max? She's been acting really weird lately and zoning out a lot."_

It's a while before his reply; enough time for me to become worried. _"I thought she was avoiding Fang, or something, before Nudge's birthday party. She probably found out he likes her."_

"…_Fang really likes Max?"_

"_Uh, yeah, you didn't know?"_

I think for a moment, remembering how his eyes always dart to Max and away again, how he stares at her when she runs, how he holds the door open for her and random little gestures. _"Well I guess I kind of knew. He's pretty obvious, isn't he?"_

"_Yeah I'm surprised she didn't figure out earlier."_

I smirk._ "Well, she's Max. She's completely oblivious to these things. XD"_

"_Lol, yup...what about you?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Are you oblivious to these things?"_

I blink. That was an unexpected question. _"Uhm, I don't know."_

"_Hah, then you probably are."_

"_I'm sure no one likes me."_

"_I wouldn't be so sure."_

I blush. What does that mean? Is he hinting that someone likes me? Not him, for sure. _"WHO?!"_

"_Oh, I couldn't possibly tell. ;)"_

I groan in frustration. _"Iggy Johnson, if you know something, now is the time to tell me, or I will come murder you in your sleep."_

"_Hmm, well, you'd have to crawl into the bed with me to do it, so I wouldn't mind too much."_

I sigh. _"Iggy, whatever am I to do with you?"_

"_Let me sleep?"_

"_Haha, okay. Good night. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Love you,_ I add in my head.

"_Cya. :)"_

I stare at my cell phone screen until it fades, wishing I could keep talking to him forever.

**Iggy POV**

Yup, Ella's pretty oblivious, alright. I roll over onto my back, setting my phone on mute. My eyes close as I slowly drift into sleep, my thoughts on Ella. _Should I ask her to the dance next week?_ I'd finally know if she'd like me or not. But I'm not sure if she'd say yes. If she doesn't know I like her by now, it probably means she hasn't thought about it, or she would have guessed that I did, right? So therefore she doesn't like me.

Maybe I'm over-thinking this.

You'd think I have a lot of experience with girls. Not to be bragging or anything, but I know a lot of girls like me or wouldn't pass up the chance to date me. It's all part of my charm, of course. But when it comes to asking one out, or even just to a dance, I'm completely clueless.

Maybe I should ask Fang. Well, he's not very experienced with girls either — he's never dated anyone, and look at what happened to him and Max. Although they seem to be good now. Whatever; he never tells me anything.

Gazzy wouldn't understand. He's just my fellow pyromaniac buddy, and I'm pretty sure his hormones haven't kicked in yet. He couldn't care less about girls.

Maybe I could ask Nudge. Surely Ella's best friend would know? There's always the chance that Nudge could spill, but I don't think so. She's usually good with hooking up people. I smile, deciding that I'll ask her first thing in the morning, and fall asleep still smiling.

As soon as I wake up I text Nudge, _"I need to talk to you. Get online."_

"…_Can't I just call you?"_

"_No, I don't want Fang to hear this…"_

"_*sigh* Okay wait a moment."_

I hurry up and open up my instant messaging program, waiting for my computer to say "Nudge Collins is online." When it does, I immediately say "message to Nudge Collins", and begin typing.

"_Okay so the dance is next week, and I really really want to ask Ella, but I don't know if she'll say yes, and I don't want to be rejected, but I really want to ask her, and I want her to know that I like her, and I want to know if she likes me, because I can't stand not knowing, but I'm so scared, WHAT SHOULD I DO?!"_

"_Whoa, chill. o_o"_

Yeah, this is _Nudge_ talking. I take a deep breath. _"Well?"_

"_Ask her,"_ she types back immediately. _"She'll say yes."_

"_But what if she doesn't?"_

"_My gosh, Iggy. She is crazy about you. She'll say yes."_

"_She is?"_

"…_yes, please don't tell me you haven't noticed."_

"_Honestly? I haven't."_ Does Ella really like me? Or is Nudge lying to me to keep me happy?

"_Nudge, if you're lying…"_

"_I'm not, I promise."_ Well, I've never known Nudge to be a liar…

"_But she never gets it when I hint that I like her, doesn't that mean that she doesn't think about the fact that I like her?"_

"…_Well Ella probably thinks she doesn't have a chance."_

"_What? Whyy?"_

"_You're a year younger than her, and have a bunch of girls to choose from, I guess."_

"_That's stupid. Ella is amazing. Why wouldn't I like her?"_

"_Um… okay, anyway, just ask her."_

"_Okay, I will." _I grin. _"Thanks, Nudge. Don't tell anyone?"_

"_Of course. ;)" _She signs off and I'm left sitting there with a goofy smile. A moment later I grab my phone, ready to text Ella and ask her to the dance, but then I realize… I can have a little fun with this. My dreamy smile is replaced by a mischievous one as I start to form a plan.

**Ella POV**

"Max, are you okay?" I shake my sister's shoulder slowly. She's been zoning out for, like, the past ten minutes, and her cereal is probably cold by now. Max startles and flinches away from my touch. I blink in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm—I'm fine, Ella. Just… not hungry." She pushes away her cereal, untouched except for a couple of bites, and goes upstairs. I frown slightly, remembering what Iggy had said last night. Does it have to do with Fang?

I should probably help. I mean, I'm her sister, right? Surely I can give her some advice or something. I finish my cereal hastily and follow her up the stairs, knocking twice on her closed door. "Max? It's me, Ella. Can I come in?"

Silence. Then… "Yeah."

I open the door to see Max sitting at her laptop, just staring at the Google home page blankly. "You know, it's not going to change if you keep staring at it like that," I joke weakly.

Max chuckles a little at my lame attempt at brightening the mood. She snaps her laptop closed and turns to look at me. "What do you need?"

"I don't _need_ anything, I just wanted to talk to you." Max's curious smile fades and her face turns wary. "You haven't been yourself lately and I just… what's wrong, Max? You know you can tell me anything."

Max sighs and stares at the ground for a moment. Then she looks up and says, "Yeah, I know, Ella, but I'm not really ready to tell you everything yet. It's just… Fang." Yup, I was right.

"What about him?"

"You know we're really close. Best friends. Like, brother-sister close."

"Yeah," I reply, nodding. "Go on."

"I found out that he likes me…" Finally. "…and then I started avoiding him because it was really awkward…" Yup, I know that too. "…but then he asked me if we could just start over as friends."

I nod. That sounds like Fang — always thinking about Max instead of himself. "But isn't that what you want? To just be friends with him? Isn't that why you were avoiding him, because you didn't want anything to ruin your friendship?"

Max frowns. "I thought that was it. But…I don't know, Ella." She looks at me, her usually guarded eyes helpless. "I really don't know. I haven't felt this way around someone since…Dylan." Her gaze drops to the floor as my heart gives a pang of sympathy.

Last year, Max went out with Dylan. He was such a sweet guy, and he was cute too, and we all thought he was the perfect match for Max. It was like he was made for her. When they got together we were all so happy for them both, until one day they broke up. For no reason. Max was the one to end the relationship, but she wouldn't say why.

All I know is that she just got really quiet for long periods of time, just zoning off. Sometimes she'd burst into tears, which was really uncharacteristic of her. I tried to coax her into telling me why, but she wouldn't tell any of us. She'd just say "I don't want to talk about it" and run away. She did a lot of running away, then. She still does now. She's not the same Max she was before she broke up with Dylan.

I reach out and give Max a hug. "It's okay, Max. I don't know what went on with you and Dylan, but this is Fang we're talking about. He wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you. You know that."

Max draws back and looks at me carefully. "I know, Ella. It's just… I don't think I can handle this. I can't have that type of relationship with Fang. Not now."

I nod. "It's fine, Max. I understand. He'll understand. So, just be friends for now." I smile at her. "It'll all be okay." I give her another hug and leave.

**Some Eggy there for ya. And most of Max's backstory. :3 Who's excited for Nevermore?! AHHH! Hope it's Fax. I'm working on a songfic that I hope to have up the day it comes out, so keep an eye out. It's "By Chance" by JRA. REVIEW!**

**~Stunningfire**


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